Apparatus for the automatic indication of the viscosity or concentration in liquids



INVENTOR.

K. T. KALLE APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC INDICATION OF Filed Nov. 29. 1946 THE VISCOSITY OR CONCENTRATION IN LIQUIDS lvl April 26, 1949.

Patented Apr. 26, 1949 OFFICE" APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC INDICA- TION OF THE VISCOSITY R CONCENTRA- TION IN LIQUIDS Karl-Torsten Kille, Saflie, Sweden Application November 29, 1946, Serial No. 713,182 In Sweden November 30, 1945 The present invention relates to an apparatus 7 for the automatic indication of the viscosity or concentration in liquids, more particularly fibre suspensions, in which a rotating member is immersed in'the liquid or suspension, the speed of rotation varying in accordance with the viscosity or concentration of the liquid or suspension. Variations in the speed of rotation are thereby recorded by means of an instrument suitable for the purpose which can actuate an indicator. The rotating member in apparatus of the type described above has hitherto been driven by an electric motor the power of which is transmitted to the spindle of the rotating member through a gear or similar device. It has been impossible with this arrangement to avoid a certain lack of sensitiveness in consequence of the friction set up.

According to the invention it has now been found that the apparatus in, question becomes appreciably more sensitive if the rotating member is driven by turbine power actuated by a constant force. Since the turbine wheel can be rigidly combined with the spindle of the rotating member no special arrangements are required for the transmission of the driving power, such as gears, etc, and the sensitiveness of the system can hereby be increased to a maximum.

In a preferred form. of construction the turbine wheel is arranged in connection with the rotatingnpmun below the bearings supporting the latter whereby it is possible to surround the said bearings by a tight protecting casing which prevents gases and vapours from penetrating into and corroding the parts of the bearings.

The apparatus according to the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable form of construction without limiting the invention to this form. Thus Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic section through the apparatus viewed from the side and Fig. 2 shows the turbine wheel in section at right-angles to Fig. 1. l indicates the rotating member immersed in the liquid or suspension, the spindle 2 of which is supported and fixed both in an axial and radial direction by the bearings 3, 4. Below the bearing housing 5 and rigidly mounted on the rotating spindle is a vessel 6 closed at the bottom and open at the top, containing liquid, this vessel being of the same type and having the same effect as the arrangement described in Swedish Patent No. 99,674 for example. upper edge of the vessel 6 a turbine wheel I is fixed which is driven by means 0! liquid con- At the.

2 Claim s (CI. 73-54) veyed through the turbine nozzle 8 at constant pressure. The vessel 8 and turbine wheel I are built into a casing 9. The liquid driving the turbine runs down partly into the vessel 6 to the extent the latter requires refilling, and is partly thrown out against the casing 9 from which it can run down into the liquid in which the rotating member is working. The quantity of liquid supplied in this manner is. however, much ton small to effect the concentration of the liquid which is to be examined.

The ball bearing housing 5 which is connected at the top to an air supply pipe it, is provided at the bottom with a tubular extension ii sur rounding the rotating spindle 2, which opens into the vessel it below the level of the liquid. Air is led through the pipe id via the bearing housing 5 and the tube it, whereupon the liquid contained in the vessel ii, which forms a, parabola of greater or lesser depth according to the speed of rotation, in consequence-of its lower or higher level will ofier less or more resistance respectively to the outflow of the air, this fact being utilised in a known manner for indicating the viscosity or concentration of a liquid or sus pension.

The location of the turbine wheel and the vessel 8 below the bearing housing 5 in the manner shown in the drawing is accompanied by the special advantage that the housing is maintained completely closed so that the bearings are protected against the penetration of corroding gases or vapours from media which have been heated up. Any vapours which may rise are condensed when coming into contact with the liquid issuing from the turbine and furthermore the liquid in the vessel 6 forms an efiective liquid seal.

For the indication only of the viscosity or concentration of the liquid or suspension in question a substantially constant quantity of air is supplied through the pipe H) which is supplied for this purpose with a check valve I2. As the air flows out through theopening of the tube H a varying static pressure is set up in the tube H which is dependent upon the speed of rotation. The pressure variations thus caused in the pipe in are registered in a known manner by a pressure gauge 14 or other pressure-indicating device which is connected to the air supply pipe Hi by a branch pipe IS.

The nozzle 8 supplying the driving fluid tn the turbine wheel is provided with an adjustable reducing valve I! by means of which the speed of rotation, can be adjusted for various desired viscosities or suspensions.

example, the turbine wheel may be arranged in another manner than that described, and/or be driven by means of a gaseous pressure medium.

' Similarly the vessel 8 may be replaced by some other organ which registers the speed of rotation,

such as a tachometer.

I claim: 1. An apparatus for automatically indicating the viscosity or concentration of liquids more icularly fibre suspensions, comprising a rotating member having a spindle immersed in the liquid, a turbine wheel mounted around the spindle of said rotating member. a pipe supplying to said turbine wheel a liquid jet having a constant force, a vessel containing liquid and fixed around the spindle below said turbine wheel, and means responsive to fluctuations in the liquid level in the vessel, caused by variations in the rotation speed, said variations being dependent on the viscosity or concentration of the liquid.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which bearings are provided for sun v h upper part of the spindle oi the rotating member, a bearing housing surro said bearings, a

supply pipe for air at the top oisa'id housint and a tubular extension at the bottom thereof. said extension-surrounding the spindle and ending below the liquid level in the v fixed under the bearing housing, said liquid also to w liquid seal for the bear ho.

aarsaamoss The following references are of record in the 

